Yatsurugi Shrine
About Yatsurugi Shrine
A small wayside shrine with an interesting history. One of the stops on the Futabanosato Historical Walking Trail.
Yatsurugi Shrine - literally “8 sword shrine” - is a small wayside shrine (hokora) near to the Enko River.
There’s not much to see at the location itself, but the location has an interesting history and is one of the stops on the Futabanosato Historical Walking Trail.
The story goes that the bank of the river was threatened by flooding in the 17th century, and an offering was to be made to appease the dangerous water spirits.
The belief of the time - one that persisted up to the Edo Period - was that a human sacrifice was often appropriate for flooding and other constructions involving water - such as embankments and bridges. However, in a departure from this custom, the daimyo ordered eight swords to be buried at the place of the shrine, rather than a human sacrifice.